Credit Union Times Magazine August-26, 2009

PSCU Offers CardLock in What May Be Card Technology Game Changer

By David Morrison

Soon, many credit union cardholders may be able to effectively lock and unlock their credit and debit card accounts at will,

Feds Call Hacker Breach Mastermind

By David Morrison

Could one master criminal turn out to have been the source of most credit union card security losses since 2007?

Florida Credit Union Creates $10,000 Challenge to Pull Families Out of Debt

By Michelle A. Samaad

When Linley Paske decided to switch from her bank to Florida Commerce Credit Union after being approved for a car loan,

Heartland Rolls Out Encryption; CEO Blames Auditors for Breach

By David Morrison

Heartland Payment Systems' CEO, Robert Carr, revealed last week that the company has begun to make its end-to-end encryption devices available to its merchant clients.

With Eye Toward Product Expansion, Jack Henry Buys Goldleaf

By Marc Rapport

Jack Henry & Associates' purchase of Goldleaf Financial Solutions will help fill gaps in the company's product line,

NCUA to Review Paydays

By David Morrison

NCUA appears set to review credit union's payday loan and payday loan alternative programs on a case by case basis.

KV Voting Begins

By David Morrison

Members of the $53 million KV Federal Credit Union got their ballots to begin voting on whether to convert their credit union to a bank charter and merge it with nearby Kennebec Savings Bank late last week.

Credit Unions Using Congressional Recess to Lobby Lawmakers

By Claude R. Marx

When Truliant Federal Credit Union Senior Vice President Ginger Salt was turned away from a recent town hall meeting with Rep.

Ala. Bank Failure Draws Business to CUs

By Jim Rubenstein

The failure last week of Alabama's $25 billion Colonial Bank, a multistate operation with nearly 350 branches,

Pennsylvania League Acts Quickly to Oppose Taxation

By Jim Rubenstein

The Pennsylvania Credit Union Association reacted quickly last week in opposing a proposal to eliminate the tax exemption for credit unions and other nonprofits.

Filene Issues Merger Study

By Jim Rubenstein

Credit union mergers are certain to become "more pre-emptive and complex" and require greater competency by CU management, according to a new Filene Research Institute study.

Risk Management Group Turns to CUs to Serve Members Worldwide

By Michelle A. Samaad

About a year and a half ago, the Risk and Insurance Management Society looked into the possibility of starting a credit union for its 10,000 members.

Chaffey FCU Outbids Local Banks for School District Deposit Contracts

By Michelle A. Samaad

In cash-strapped California, many school districts were forced to eliminate programs this summer, slash operational and maintenance costs and implement hiring freezes to get ready for the start of the new school year.

Study Ties Branches to Deposits

By Myriam DiGiovanni

A new analysis from research firm Market Rates Insight may have credit unions think twice before shuttering branch doors.

CEO: CUs Need to Get Active in Health Debate

By Jim Rubenstein

Should CEOs get involved in the health care debate and risk finding themselves on TV during one of those town hall meetings?

GTE FCU Gives New and Old Media Megaphones to Young Savers

By Myriam DiGiovanni

GTE Federal Credit Union is making it easy for young locals to better connect with its new U22 account.

Lloyd Jones Is 'Director of Yea

By Jim Rubenstein

Lloyd Jones, chairman of the $25 million Mattel Federal Credit Union of El Segundo, Calif. and a CU volunteer for 44 years, has been named "Director of the Year" for 2009.

NCUA Bans Eight From Federal FIs for Range of Activities

By Claude R. Marx

Eight people have been banned by the NCUA from working at federally insured financial institutions because of their past actions while working for a credit union.

Pa. League Goes Online

The Pennsylvania Credit Union Association announced last week it has started pilot testing video messaging using top trade brass to communicate more readily with members on topical issues.

Affinity Plus FCU Goes Extreme

Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union has become part of an extreme makeover.

Nevada Federal Credit Union Hits 'Out-Staters' After NCUA Utah Deal

By Jim Rubenstein

The $814 million Nevada Federal Credit Union, using an ad hitting on "an out-of-state credit union" coming into town,

GAO Faults NCUA on Lending Discrimination

By Claude R. Marx

The current regulatory structure and failings by some regulators has resulted in inconsistent enforcement of antidiscrimination laws among lenders, a report by Congress' investigative arm concluded.

Credit Unions Are Learning Lessons in Success on Student Loans

By Lindsey Siegriest

Credit unions entering the student lending market this year are seeing their programs take off like Michael Phelps in the pool.

Credit Union 24 Picks Up CUs in New York and Ohio

By David Morrison

A credit union in New York and another in Ohio have joined Credit Union 24. Their addition takes the credit union-owned ATM and EFT network to 455 credit unions,

Credit Union 24 Re-Elects Chairman

Credit Union 24's member credit unions have re-elected the organization's chairman. The board chose Mansel Guerry for a second term as chairman

Mid-Atlantic's First CEO John Bixler Jr. Passes

Mid-Atlantic Corporate Federal Credit Union's first president/CEO, John H. Bixler Jr., passed away Aug. 17.

Convincing Consumers to Eschew Paper Called Key to Online Growth

By Marc Rapport

Mailing out paper continues to be a major expense for every credit union in the land, and convincing consumers that their financial institution

PFM Pioneer: Stanford Federal Credit Union Goes First With Geezeo

By Marc Rapport

The pioneer of online banking is going first again, this time agreeing to be the initial institutional user of a personal financial management platform now offered to anyone free on the Internet.

Indy CUSO Deploys HSA Enrollment Tools at Baton Rouge CU

By Marc Rapport

An automated enrollment solution designed specifically to handle the special requirements of health savings accounts is the latest offering from fiVISION, an Indianapolis-based provider of technology platforms for credit unions.

CUSO's Solution Focuses on Relationship Building as Bottom Line

By Marc Rapport

Wescom Resources Group has rolled out a new member relationship management solution that sets itself apart from traditional customer relationship management platforms in some fundamental ways, its developers say.

CRI Solutions Inks Three CUs

By Marc Rapport

Three more credit unions have signed up to use CRI Solutions Inc. for indirect lending technology, the Elkridge, Md., company said.

Staying On Top of Member Needs

By Sarah Snell Cooke

Yet again, a major card data security breach made headlines across the country as Radisson revealed an information breach of its hotels in the U.S. and Canada.

Bankruptcy Filings Up 35% in Last Year

By Claude R. Marx

There were 1.3 million bankruptcy filings in the year that ended on June 30, a 35% increase over the previous year's total of 967,831, according to data compiled by the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts.

California League Unveils Collaborative Panel to Help CUs Pare Internal Costs

By Jim Rubenstein

The California/Nevada Credit Union League is making plans this month to marshal higher levels of CU cooperation to sharply reduce credit union costs across a broad front,

Credit Unions That Demand a Half Pound of Flesh Have Lost Their Way

It is unfortunate that credit unions seem to have forgotten their primary mission.

Protecting What's More Valuable Than Money From Cyber-Thieves

A criminal indictment announced last week charged three people with the largest hacking and identity-theft case in history.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

TruMark Financial Credit Union, Trevose, Pa., celebrated the opening of its Eastern North Philadelphia branch in a neighborhood that lacked a financial institution for 60 years with a community event.